Electro-endosmotic process of freeing materials from fluids.



No. 670,350. l Pate'nted Mar. I9, |90I.

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ELECTRO ENDOSMOTIC PBOCESSOF'FREEING' MATERIALS FROM FLUID-S.

'Applicatini med July 26, 1900.)

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UNITE@ STATRR PATENT GFFICE.,

RorHo SCHWERIN, or MUNICH, GERMANY.

ELECTRO-ENDOSMOTIC PROCESS OF FREEING MATERIALS FROM FLUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 670,350, dated March 19, 1901. f

Application filed July 26, 1900. Serial No. 24,953. (No specimens.)

To a/ZZ vwhom it muy concern:

Beit known that I, Horno SCHWERIN, a subject of the King of Prussia, Emperor of Gerin any, residing at No.6 PrinZ-Ludwig-Strasse, Munich, Bavaria, German Empire have invented a new and useful Electro-Endosmotic Process of Freeing Materials from Fluids; and

Ido hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and eXact description of my invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

is produced even when operating upon materials which possess the property of mechanically binding with energy a great percentage of their fluid, such as peat and the like.

With many substances the ordinary mechanical removal of iiuids therefrom or the removal by means of presses, centrifugal apparatus, and the like results in the formation of impermeable crusts, whereby further escape of fluid is prevented. This formation of impermeable crusts renders, for instance, the mechanical removal of iiuid a very imperfect process when operated upon substances which possess the property of mechanically binding a great percentage of their water or other duid, such as peat and the like, and consequently require a very strong pressure to be applied. With substances of this kind the amount of energy to be applied is entirely out of proportion to the effect produced. In order to do away with this difficulty, the present invention makes use of the so-called electro-endosmotic principle.

It is well known to electricians that the electric current is capable of exerting a mo material which contains or isimpregnated or intermixed with fluid is placed in contact with'elect-rodes of opposite denomination, the solid constituents of the material acting as the diaphragm above mentioned as soon as the circuit is closed.

This invention therefore consistsin utilizing the said motorial action of the electric current for freeing solid mineral, vegetable, and animal materials from water or other iuids'as follows: The material to be treated is brought in contact with positive and negative electrodes by placing or moving it between -the same, an electric current passed through it by means of said electrodes, and

the fluid allowed to discharge at the negative Y electrode, the material being preferably operated upon in the state of a pulp, sludge, mud, or slime. While the electric circuit is closed the molecules of the water or'other fluid diffuse from solid particles to solid particles toward the negative electrode, where ythey are allowed to escape to the outside, for

instance, by rendering said electrode permeable to liquids. In this manner a high percentage of fluid can be eliminated from the material without giving rise to the formation of crusts.

In. order to insure efficient contact between the material and the electrodes, such an amount of pressure may be applied as will not result in the formation of dense crusts. As this pressure exerts a driving-out action, the amount of current to be applied can be smaller accordingly. n

When practicable, the material should be caused at shorter or longer intervals to pass from the negative electrode to the positive one, and vice versa, in order to prevent the formation of too dry a layerof material in front of the positive electrode. e,

The strength of the electric current to be applied is dependent upon the nature of the fluid to be removed and must therefore be determined byexperiments for each material.

The process is -applicable to any material provided it be operated upon in a sufficient state of disintegrationfor instance, forming a pulp, sludge, mud, or slime, or a wet, moist, or drenched mass of slices or other fragments, and the like. As mere illustrative examples may serve-for instance, Wood-pulp, starch- IOO pulp, ground peat, disintegrated fruits, clay sludge, potatoes or beet roots reduced to slices or pulp, disintegrated Fish or iiesh, crushed seeds, and the like-therefore I wish it to be understood that the term disinte grated as used iu this specification and its annexed claims is intended to express in a broad sense any suilicient degree ot' subdivision brought about by any process--as, for instance, by grinding, coinminuting, crushing, cutting, washing, boiling, and the like.

The extraction of water from peat to a very high degree can, for example, be effected by grinding the peat to a thick sludge or paste-like mass and placing the samein a box subdivided into compartments, such as the usual peat-mold, having a bottom made out of a substance being a good conductor of electricity and rendered permeable to liquidsuch as, for instance, a wire-gauze, perforated plate, or the like--and to which bottom is connected the negative pole of the source of electricity, while the upper surface of the material is connected with the positive pole by means of superposed metal plates or chains hanging down from a pole-piece and reposing on said surface. If now an electric current is caused to through the peat, water begins at once to escape through the bottom ot' the box, while in the various compartments of the box the contained peat gradually contracts, but retains a brick-like shape. The current is allowed to act until the desired degree ofdehydration is attained and is then interrupted, when the box can be emptied by simply turning it over. Anumber of such boxes may, if desired, be arranged upon a rotary circular step-sland rotating at such a speed that after a complete revolution the peat contained in the box arriving at the starting-point has been sufficiently dehydrated and can then be either discharged and replaced by a fresh charge or the box may be removed and a ready-filled one put in its place.

An apparatus for continuous working is shown on the annexed sheet of drawings, of which- Figure l is an elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a vertical central section through the same; and Fig. 3, a cross-section on line ci a, Fig. 2.

1 and 2, Figs. 2 and 3, are two stationary cylinders coaxially placed one in the other in horizontal position. The inner cylinder 1 constitutes the positive electrode and the outerone, 2, the negative electrode. The latter is so constructed as to be permeable to the fluid to be driven out-for instance,with wiregauze orpert'orated sheet metal provided with an external coating of suitable filtering inaterial, as canvas or cloth 2". The inner electrode is supported by a stationary shaft 3, extending in the common axial line of both electrodes, of which the ou ter one is supported by standards, (not shown,) both electrodes being carefully isolated from adjacent parts,

as indicated in Fig. 2 by thick black lines. In the annular interval between the electrodes 1 and 2 is located a spiral 4, extending through the whole length of said interval and constructed with a suitable non-conductive substance or with metal covered with such substance at all points. lt is rigidly connected by longitudinal bolts 5 with two disks t3 and 7, both of which are loosely mounted by the respective sleeve-like hubs 8 and .fl upon the shaft 3. The hub or sleeve 9 carries a belt -pulley 10 for imparting rotary motion to the spiral e. Opposite this pulley the apparatus is closed by a plae 18, cart-*ying a bent pipe 18, which communicates through an opening in said plate with the interval between the cylindrical electrodes 1 and 2. This pipe 18 is the inlet for the material to be treated and is to be connected with a feed-pump, (not shown,) the material being reduced to the state of a mud, sludge, slime, or pulp. At the opposite end of the apparatus the outer cylinder 2 has adapted to it, with the interposition of' an insulating-ring, a hollow extension 11 in the form of a truncated cone Iand provided in its top with a centrally-located opening 12. In front of the outside of this opcning is arranged a sliding disk 13, guided by the wall of a cylindrical housing 13, and between the disk and a disk 14, which is adjustable by means of a screw 1li-b, is located a spiral spring 1e, which tends to close the pla-te 13 upon the opening 12 with a pressure depending upon the adjustment of disk 1l. In the underside of the housing 13 is provided an opening 15, constituting the outlet proper for the material treated To the spiral 4 are secured upright. plates 16 and 16 in an oblique position, as shown in Fig. The

plates 16 extend from the outer edge oi' thel spiral toward the inner edge of saine, having an interval between their inner edges and the inner edge of the spiral, while the plates 16 extend from the inner edge of the spiral toward the outer edge of same, leaving an interval between their outer edges andthe ou ter edge of the spiral. Within the conical extension 11 a short screw-,blade or spiral 17 is secured to the hub or sleeve S.

19 and 20 are binding-screws for connecting the electrodes 1 and 2 with the source of electricity. (Not shown.)

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: The peat-pulp or pulp of other material is fed through the pipe 18 into the annular space between the two cylindrical electrodes 1 and 2. Supposing the electrodes in connection with the source of electricity, when the pulp reaches the electrodes the electrical circuit is at once closed, current passes through the pulp, and water begins to percolate through the outer cylinder 2. rlhe spiral e is then caused to rotate, when the pulp is conveyed toward the opening 12, where it is rst arrested by the spring-controlled plate 13 closing said opening until the pressure of the material causes the plate 13 to recede a IOO IIO

distance dependent on the adjustment of spring-14, when the material finds its way past the plate 13 through the annular interval formed between this plate and the edge of the opening 12 and is iinally discharged through the-opening 15. According to the adjustment of spring 13 a greater or smaller counter-pressure is opposed to the travel of the material and thereby good contact secured between the latter and the electrodes. During its passage through the apparatus the material is repeatedly1 acted upon by the plates 16 and 16a, causing it to pass from the outer electrode'Z to the inner electrode 1, and vice versa, so that a too-dry layer of material is prevented from forming in front oi the positive electrode 1.

What I claim as my invention -isl. The process of freeing mineral, vegetal and animal materials from lluid which consists in placing the 'disintegrated material in contact with electrodes of opposite sign,

driving the iluid toward the negative electrode by passing an electric current through the material by means of said electrodes, and causing the fluid to discharge from the negative electrode as it is driven out of the material, substantially as and for the purpose stated.

2. The process of freeing mineral, vegetal and animal materials from fluid which consists in placing the disintegrated material in contact with electrodes of opposite signs, driving the iiuid toward 'the negative electrode by passing an electric current through the material by means of said electrodes, exerting pressure upon the material while under the action of the current, andvcausing the Huid to discharge from the negative electrode as it is driven out of the material, substantially as and for the purpose stated.

3. The process of freeing mineral, vegetal and animal materials from fluid, which consists in placing the disintegrated material in contact with electrodes of opposite signs, driving the fluid toward the negative electrode by passing an electric current through the material by means of saidelectrodes, eX- erting pressure upon the material and transferring it from the negative electrode to the positive one, and vice versa,'while under the action of the current, and causing the iiuid Vto discharge from the negativeelectrode as it is driven out of the material, substantially as and for the purpose stated.

4t. The process of freeing mineral, vegetal and animal materials from Huid which consists in reducing the material to a pulpy mass, causing the same io travel between electrodes of opposite signs in contact therewith, driving the Huid toward the negative electrode by passing an electric current through the mass by means of said electrodes, exerting a counter-pressure upon the traveling mass and transferring it from the negative electrode to the positive one and vice versa while under Ythe action ot' the current, and causing the iiuid to discharge from the negative electrode BOTHO SCHWERIN.

Witnesses z WALLY SEITZ, HECK KACHEL. 

